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Copyright Š 2013 by Winn Chen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Printed in the United States of America
Dedicated to my beloved family and friends.
01 Water Pavilion
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Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
03
Sage Gateshead Building
sisted design exercises, Blob Architecture has given the world some of its most distinctive and memorable buildings.
ly soft, rounded and curved dimensions. Originating in inflatable buildings, pre-fab plastic structures and computer-as-
ferred to as Blobitecture, Blobism or even Blobismus is a exceedingly organic type of architecture that exhibits profound-
surfaces, and the digitizing of sculpted forms by means akin to computed tomography. Blob Architecture – sometimes re-
computer aided design functions involved in developing this are the nonuniform rational B-spline or NURB, freeform
programs. Architects derive the forms by manipulating the algorithms of the computer modeling platform. Some other
Despite its seeming organicism, blob architecture is unthinkable without this and other similar computer-aided design
of architects and furniture designers began to experiment with this “blobby” software to create new and unusual forms.
coined by architect Greg Lynn in 1995 in his experiments in digital design with metaball graphical software. Soon a range
word stuck and is often used to describe buildings with curved and rounded shapes. The term ‘blob architecture’ was
Times Magazine in an article entitled Defenestration. Though intended in the article to have a derogatory meaning, the
1990s, the word blobitecture first appeared in print in 2002, in William Safire’s “On Language” column in the New York
have an organic, amoeba-shaped, bulging form. Though the term ‘blob architecture’ was in vogue already in the mid-
Blobitecture from blob architecture, blobism or blobismus are terms for a movement in architecture in which buildings
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Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Well before the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened its doors to the public on October 19, 1997, the new museum was making news. The numerous artists, architects, journalists, politicians, filmmakers, and historians that visited the building site in the mere four years of its construction anticipated the success of the venture. Frank Gehry’s limestone, glass, and titanium building was hailed by architect Philip Johnson as “the greatest building of our time” and the pioneering collaboration between the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation and Basque authorities was seen to challenge assumptions about art museum collecting and programming. Located on the Bay of Biscay, Bilbao is the fourth largest city in Spain, one of the country’s most important ports, and a center for manufacturing, shipping, and commerce. In the late 1980s the Basque authorities embarked on an ambitious redevelopment program for the city. By 1991, with new designs for an airport, a subway system, and a footbridge, among other important projects by major international architects such as Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, and Arata Isozaki, the city planned to build a first-class cultural facility. In April and May of 1991 at the invitation of the Basque Government and the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, Thomas Krens, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, met repeatedly with officials, signing a preliminary agreement to bring a new Guggenheim Museum to Bilbao. An architectural competition led to the selection of California-based architect Gehry, known for his use of unorthodox materials and inventive forms, and his sensitivity to the urban environment. Gehry’s proposal for the site on the Nervion River ultimately included features that embrace both the identity of the Guggenheim Museum and its new home in the Basque Country. The building’s glass atrium refers to the famous rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright’s New York Guggenheim, and its largest gallery is traversed by Bilbao’s Puente de La Salve, a vehicular bridge serving as one of the main gateways to the city. In 1992 Juan Ignacio Vidarte, now Director General of the Guggenheim Bilbao, was formally appointed to oversee the development of the project and to supervise the construction. Groundbreaking took place in 1993 and in 1997 a gala dinner and reception, attended by an international audience and Spain’s Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos I, celebrated the inauguration of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.
Plans for a new museum in Bilbao date to the late 1980s, when the Basque Administration began formulating a major redevelopment of the region. Almost from the moment it opened in 1997, Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, with its distinctive titanium curves and soaring glass atrium, was hailed as one of the most important buildings of the 20th century. Gehry’s use of cutting-edge computer-aided design technology enabled him to translate poetic forms into reality. The resulting architecture is sculptural and expressionistic, with spaces unlike any others for the presentation of art. The museum is seamlessly integrated into the urban context, unfolding its interconnecting shapes of stone, glass, and titanium on a 32,500-square-meter site along the Nervión River in the old industrial heart of the city. In moving forward with the museum a site was selected and three architects, Arata Isozaki from Japan, Coop Himmelb(l)au from Austria, and Frank O. Gehry from the United States, were invited to participate in a competition to produce a conceptual design. These were no requirements in terms of drawings or models to be produced; rather, the architects were only asked to present what they thought would convey their concept for the new museum. Eleven thousand square meters of exhibition space are distributed over nineteen galleries. Ten of these galleries have a classic orthogonal plan and can be identified from the exterior by their stone finishes. Nine other irregularly shaped galleries present a remarkable contrast and can be identified from the outside by their swirling forms and titanium cladding. The largest gallery, measuring 30 meters wide and 130 meters long, was used for temporary exhibitions for several years. In 2005, it became the site of the largest sculpture commission in history, Richard Serra’s monumental installation The Matter of Time. The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a pinnacle in Gehry’s outstanding architectural career as well as in the field of museum design. It remains unsurpassed in its integration of art and architecture, maintaining an aesthetic and programmatic unity. When the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened to the public in 1997, it was immediately hailed as one of the world’s most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism (although Gehry does not associate himself with that architectural movement), a masterpiece of the 20th century. Architect Philip Johnson described it as “the greatest building of our time”,while critic Calvin Tomkins, in The New Yorker, characterized it as “a fantastic dream ship of undulating form in a cloak of titanium,” its brilliantly reflective panels also reminiscent of fish scales.Herbert Muschamp praised its “mercurial brilliance” in The New York Times Magazine. The Independent calls the museum “an astonishing architectural feat”. The building inspired other structures of similar design across the globe, such as the Cerritos Millennium Library in Cerritos, California.
Established
Location
October 18, 1997 Abando, Bilbao, Spain
Type Art museum Visitors 1,002,963 (2007) 951,369 (2008) Director
Juan Ignacio Vidarte
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designers who have found the ideal atmosphere to present both large format works in contemporary mediums and smaller or more intimate shows.
where visitors do not feel overwhelmed. Such variety has demonstrated its enormous versatility in the expert hands of curators and exhibition
and with classical proportions and others with organic, irregular lines. The play with different volumes and perspectives generates indoor spaces
um and glass elevators, and staircases. Also an exhibition space, the Atrium functions as an axis for the 20 galleries, some orthogonally shaped
ered by a great skylight. The three levels of the building are organized around the Atrium and are connected by means of curved walkways, titani-
With curved volumes and large glass curtain walls that connect the inside and the outside, the Atrium is an ample space flooded with light and cov-
Once inside the Hall, visitors access the Atrium, the real heart of the Museum and one of the signature traits of Frank Gehry’s architectural design.
Inside the
museum
17
When
the
Guggenheim
Museum
Bilbao
opened to the public in 1997,
it was immediately
hailed as one of the world’s
most
buildings in the style of De-
constructivism (al-
though Gehry does not associate
himself
architectural movement), a mas-
terpiece of the 20th
century. Architect Philip Johnson
described it as “the
greatest building of our time”, while
critic Calvin Tom-
kins, in The New Yorker,
terized it as “a fan-
tastic dream ship of nium,” its brilliantly fish curial The
scales.
Her-
brilliance”in
charac-
undulating form reflective panels New
York
with
that
in a cloak of titaalso reminiscent of
bert Muschamp praised The
spectacular
Times
its
“mer-
Magazine.
Independent
calls the museum “an astonishing
architectural feat”.
The building inspired other struc-
tures of similar de-
sign across the globe, such as
the
Cerritos
Mil-
lennium Library in California.
When the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened to the public in 1997, it was immediately hailed as one of the world’s most spectacular buildings in the style of Deconstructivism (although Gehry does not associate himself with that architectural movement), a masterpiece of the 20th century. Architect Philip Johnson described it as “the greatest building of our time”, while critic Calvin Tomkins, in The New Yorker, characterized it as “a fantastic dream ship of undulating form in a cloak of titanium,” its brilliantly reflective panels also reminiscent of fish scales. Herbert Muschamp praised its “mercurial brilliance”in The New York Times Magazine. The Independent calls the museum “an astonishing architectural feat”. The building inspired other structures of similar design across the globe, such as the Cerritos Millennium Library in California. Even the entrance to the Guggenheim is unusual; we descended a wide stairway to go inside. An audio tour is included in the entrance fee which greatly enhanced our experience as we learned about Frank Gehry’s creative process in conceiving this masterpiece. We adjusted our headsets then sat inside the atrium on the ground floor marveling at the sinuous columns rising up adjacent to glass walls, while listening to how it was designed and constructed. I didn’t feel as though I were inside a building but instead within the heart of something alive. It was an emotional experience witnessing the manifestation of one man’s vision and I was amazed that such an unusual and sophisticated design would actually be constructed. Obviously it had required an enormous amount of effort and resources but it had been built regardless and I was very appreciative of that while we were there. It was so beautiful, sensual and divine; an intangible experience that isn’t easily put into words and like many truly remarkable places, it’s difficult to duplicate the experience in photos, although Lauren and I had the time of our lives snapping pictures at every turn. When we were ready to move on from the atrium I was most interested in continuing to experience the “structure” itself even on the inside, but Lauren steered me to the permanent exhibit on the ground floor she had visited on a previous trip with her school. At first I just went along but then quickly became engaged with the interactive sculpture “The Matter of Time” by Richard Serra. A large part of the ground floor houses this permanent exhibit which looks as impressive from the overhead view on the second floor as it does while standing in the middle of it. There was a film and a lot of information about this artist (who is from San Francisco), and how he constructed his installation pieces, but I was so keen on exploring the structure of the Guggenheim itself that I was reluctant to spend the time learning about the artist. I somewhat regret not pausing in that particular exhibit to learn more about it while I was there, but if I return to the Guggenheim I will. The Matter of Time is the only permanent exhibit at the Guggenheim in Bilbao and is the largest sculpture commission in history. It is certainly a must-see exhibit! While inside the museum we encountered so many interesting angles and perspectives that constantly changed as we meandered along the upper floor winding walkways. Sunlight filtering through the many glass walls and windows enhanced our experience within the building as well as brightened the many interesting views to the outside. We just couldn’t get enough and were reluctant to leave so we changed our plans, skipping menu del dia at a a recommended restaurant downtown, to eat at the museum cafe, which turned out to be a delight in itself. The elevated cafe terrace hugs the side of the museum, our table against its titanium wall. It was a gorgeous day, we enjoyed our lunch with a view of the river, basking in the sun while listening to a talented saxophonist perform on the walkway below. It was such a magical experience for me and to share it with my daughter was beyond anything I had imagined. “Today is going to be my favorite day in Spain,” I told Lauren. And I think that even though she had been to the Guggenheim before and was so familiar with Spain, that for her it was a pretty special time too.
Archite is the art of how
ecture to waste space.
CONSTRUCTION
The museum notably houses “large-scale, site-specific works and installations by contemporary artists, such as Richard Serra’s 340 ft-long Snake, and displays the work of Basque artists, “as well as housing a selection of works” from the Foundation’s modern art collection. In 1997, the museum opened with “The Guggenheim Museums and the Art of This Century”, a 300-piece overview of 20th-century art from Cubism to new media art. Most pieces came from the Guggenheim’s permanent collection, but the museum also acquired paintings by Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and Clyfford Still and commissioned new works by Francesco Clemente, Anselm Kiefer, Jenny Holzer and Richard Serra. The exhibitions change often; the museum generally hosts thematic exhibitions, centered for example on Chinese or Russian art. Traditional paintings and sculptures are a minority compared to installations and electronic forms. The highlight of the collection, and its only permanent exhibit, is The Matter of Time (incorporating an earlier work, Snake), a series of weathering steel sculptures designed by Serra, which is housed in the 430-foot (130 m) Arcelor Gallery (formerly known as the Fish Gallery but renamed in 2005 for the steel manufacturer that sponsored the project). The collections usually highlight Avant-garde art, 20th century abstraction, and non-objective art. When the museum announced the 2011 exhibition “The Luminous Interval”, a show of artwork belonging to Greek businessman Dimitris Daskalopoulos, who is also a museum trustee, this met with criticism of, among other things, too much curatorial power for a serious benefactor. In 2012 David Hockney’s exhibition drew over 290,000 visitors to the museum.